Dark
by Llama-San
Summary: -Based on Akito the Exiled storyline- Leila tried to be rational. She liked to be rational, in control. But as usual her emotions got the better of her.


Leila put down her book with a barely supressed sigh. Her mind was floating elsewhere it seemed for she could have sworn she had read the last sentence about 10 times by now but she couldn't - for the life of her - understand a single word of it.

She must have been crammed in her room for at least 4 hours now, occupying her jumbled mind with trivial matters as she always did when she felt stressed out or worried. Working out strategies for the division she has been asigned was no walk in the park and that has taken its toll on her strained mind. She had to do something else that day.

Although reluctantly, she started out by washing the dishes which have been piling up in the sink in her kitchenette for quite some time and were about to topple over, finishing with dusting the furniture until she could deem her living quarters as spotless. (She was not a clean freak, far from it actually, but she could not stand living in a pigsty anymore).

She mentally scolded herself. What would her colleagues think of her if they found out she couldn't keep her room clean for more than a couple of days? And she didn't even spend that much time in her room nowadays but it somehow got messy anyway. She had a tough job as Lieutenant Colonel, even she had to admit that, but it was still unacceptable to have a dirty room!

Leila always had to take her responsibilities seriously and slacking off was not an option especially when the EU and Britannia were at each others throats. And looking back to the success rate of her operations, it was safe to say they had gone smoothly for the most part.

Of course, one of the disastrous ones was the Narva incident for which she took the blame with her head held high even if she had received praise for it. 'Misdirected praise.' she silently added.

The low survival rate was the primary factor which made her deem the mission a complete failure even if the objective was more or less accomplished.

She shuddered at the awful reminder of that day when young Japanese soldiers boarded their Knightmare frames in the morning and were dead by dusk. Some died by the hands of the enemy but some stupidly died from the self destruct explosions caused by the devices attatched to their Knightmares. If only she had been more careful with who she put her trust into. 'They are just Elevens!' she remembered them shouting disdainfully.

Elevens... Japanese... That alone reminded her of him and that impassible expression of his. The object of her distress was crawling its way into her clouded mind once again but she couldn't have that now. She decided to go for a walk to clear her head a little.

She threw her millitary jacket over her crisp white shirt and closed the door to her room with a screech, climbing down the stairs that led outside the imposing building that housed the Military Command Centre.

As Leila stepped into the chilly night, she shivered as a gust of wind ruffled her blonde locks. She looked ahead but could see no one in sight. Perfect. Just what she needed. She wandered around aimlessly, breathing in the fresh air and barely registering the scrape of her boots against the gravel footpath. The only source of light she guided herself by was the almost full moon which cast its pale gloomy rays over the Earth.

Her relaxing walk was short lived as a rustle of leaves coming from behind a row of old trees snapped her out of her reverie. She measured her footfalls carefully, moving forward as silently as she could. She pulled out the standard handgun she was carrying just in case she needed to apprehend someone dangerous.

Leila could hear the noise again and as she drew closer, she couldn't help but feel as if she was being watched. Nevertheless, the eerie sound was coming from the small graveyard hidden by the solid trees. She peered over from behind one of them and to her relief no one was there. As soon as she holstered her gun, she was starled by a voice coming from behind her.

'What are you doing out so late, Commander?'

In a momentary lapse of judgement, she spun on her heel panicked out of her mind and grabbed the intruder by the arm, slamming them to the ground with all her might. Needless to say, she regretted her action as soon as she could see who she had pin ed down.

'Lt. Hyuga?!'

He regarded her with a mix of curiosity and amusement as if he had just let her take him down on purpose which he most likely did, she reckoned. 'Wouldn't have pegged tou to be so aggressive, Commander.'

She silently thanked the darkness for conveying her undoubtedly flustered expression as well as her beet red cheeks. 'I'm-'

In one fluid motion he sat up straight and Leila, a bit startled took a step back.

'It's alright', he said curtly. 'It was my fault for sneaking up on you.'

An uncomfortable silence followed and neither of them made a move for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, his gaze lifted upwards and he looked at the moon with wide ocean blue eyes.

Ever since she met Lieutenant Akito Hyuga she had decided that his eyes were his most striking feature. Their hypnotic colour seemed to beckon you to drown in them, much like mythic marine cratures charmed sailors to their demise.

'But that is just how he is' Leila thinks, 'Only he draws you in then shoves you away when you least expect it. He's a walking, talking mystery.'

Through misty violet eyes she could make out the movements of his lips and realized that he was speaking to her. 'S-Sorry. What did you just say?' 'Get a grip, Leila!' she mentally slapped herself, 'You are acting like a schoolgirl. Snap out of it!'

For a split second the corners of his lips twitched upwards in what could only be described as a smirk ' You were staring'

She scoffed 'Don't be childish' she replied, finally regaining her composure. 'Anyway... What has gotten you up and about, Lieutenant?'

He grabbed her hand wordlessly and pulled her towards the small clearing. He sat down and beckoned for her to do the same.

'I still talk to them sometimes' he stated after a long suffocating silence. 'When the moon is almost full I come here and talk to them.'

'You mean the Japanese soldiers?' she mused aloud, catching sight of the pile of rocks which served as a makeshift tombstone.

'So you remember. That night many months ago when we met here...'

How could she not remember it, really? It had beent the first time when he showed her another side of him. A glipse of what she surmised was his true self.

'I have already died once' the memory of him uttering those words so calmly, so serenely still brought an uncomfortable shiver to her spine. Leila thought at that time that she'd be too intrusive to ask him to elaborate. It did not feel less inappropriate now . After all the relationship between them was strictly professional. She was his superior, not his friend. But why did it seem unpleasant when she thought about it that way?

'I do' she said simply.

'They are happy.' he murmured, his gaze lost in the distance. 'They say they died honorably. '

'And they did. Their deaths were not in vain, Lieutenant.' she added much too quickly. 'Life is so fleeting. One moment it's yours and the next...'

'And the next...' he whispered, echoing her exact words. 'You could lose everything.'

Did he just say something? Her mind might have been playing tricks on her. When she turned her head to him she was met with a pair of soft lips on her own.

Her breath was caught in her throat and her heart was threatening to burst out of her chest but her response was immediate. As soon as the kiss was initiated it came to an end and Leila could have sighed in annoyance were it not for her astonishment.

'Akito...' it was the first time she let herself speak his name aloud and it sounded so right. He gazed at her through impossibly blue, half-lidded eyes and took her cold hand in his own.

'Life is just an indefinite time that you have to wait until death claims your soul.' he directed a small smile to the moon above and it seemed that it was smiling back at them.

And for once, Leila did not feel the need to say anything.


End file.
